For Stewards

You have time available and an interest in serving the Lord overseas. You have a servant’s heart and an interest in seeing how missionaries live. As an Oikonomos Steward, you will be paired with a missionary or missionary couple for a specific timeframe, typically one to six months.

Oikonomos International will require 6-12 months for vetting and preparing Stewards.

This allows time for the application and interview process, training sessions, and raising support after matching with a specific missionary request.

Language requirements vary based on the posting. With English often used as a common language across cultures, House Stewards can navigate life in a different country with an adventurous spirit and willingness to try.

Stewards are briefed on the house or apartment, on the local conditions, and on the local church. They may cover the costs of stewarding themselves or raise funds for rent, utilities, and travel expenses. Daily costs are separate from tax-deductible use of funds.

Stewards spend up to 6 months house-sitting in a missionary home while engaging in the local church and experiencing life in a foreign country. The time in-country is limited by the maximum allowable time of a Tourist Visa of that nation. Stewards are not missionaries and are not working while in-country. This is a necessary stipulation for House Stewards to enter the country on a Tourist Visa.

The Steward application covers personal information and history, Christian testimony, ministry experience in the local church, and areas of specific interest and skills.

Since our Stewards represent our organization and will be entrusted with the home, possessions, and reputation of missionaries, applicants will undergo a financial and criminal background check and must have three references, including one from the Pastor or Session of their church. Stewards will also undergo an interview and training.

For further information or if you have questions, please contact Thomas Swaim, at stewardsupport@oikonomos.org

Read the qualifications

Steward Downloadable Application

Steward Application Instructions

The Steward Application is a lengthy document that will be used in conducting a background investigation.

For security reasons, we seek to protect sensitive information. At present, there are two ways to submit this information (Online Submission and Mailed Hard Copy):

Option 1. Use the secure on-line form. Due to software limitations, this must be done in a single sitting. Before beginning, please collect the following information:

Applicant(s) Full Names and aliases
Date & place of birth
Contact information (phone, mailing address, email)
Passport & citizenship information (including foreign citizenship data)
Past residences (10 years)
School information (including dates and addresses)
Employment information (10 years - employers, addresses, & phone #s )
3 references (one must be a pastor or elder - phone # and e-mail)

One suggestion would be to download the form and fill in the information, then transfer it to the on-line application. We understand that this is an additional step, but we want to ensure that your sensitive information is protected. PLEASE BE ADVISED: If the form is closed before being submitted, all entered data will be lost.

Option 2. Use a hard copy of the form. Download this form and fill in the information on the hard copy, then mail it to us at Oikonomos International, PO Box 187, Harborcreek, PA 16421.

The application begins with 5 questions that may require a lengthier response. We suggest you write/type your answers in a separate document, and either cut & paste it into the on-line form or attach it as a separate addendum to the hard-copy application. These questions are:

Discuss your Christian Experience and Faith (Where do you stand before God, and how does this affect your life?)
Discuss Your Christian Faith (i.e. what do you believe?)
Discuss Your Roles, Responsibilities, and Functions in Your Home Church
Discuss Your Interest in Being an Oikonomos Steward
Discuss What You Would Hope to Accomplish / Learn as an Oikonomos Steward

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For Stewards

Stewardship Locations (Scroll right to see more photos)

Steward Downloadable Application